The Real Reason Introverts Stay Home

Isn’t that quote just so true? We introverts love to get out of plans we weren’t too excited about in the first place. And it’s not just because we love being alone at home. Solitude is great, but there are other reasons introverts would often rather stay home than go out and mix and mingle. Because here’s the thing.

Even if you genuinely want to connect with people, and possibly make new friends, as an introvert, you face so many challenges when socializing. There are really countless reasons for an introvert to dread going out and meeting new people. But I’ve narrowed it down to 4 introvert friendship blocks.

Let me know if you can relate in the comments. 🙂

4 Introvert Friendship Blocks

Social overwhelm

A lot of people mislabel introverts as anti-social. The term “selectively social” is more accurate. The truth is that socializing can be incredibly overwhelming and draining for introverts.

Trouble letting people in

As much as you might want to open up and get close to people, you put up walls that make it seem impossible. You feel frustrated that you can’t just “loosen up” like everyone tells you to, and truly let people in.

Feelings of unworthiness

Deep down, you may feel unworthy of the beautiful, accepting friendships that you long for. It’s not your fault. Introverts grow up feeling like there’s something wrong with us. But being an introvert is something to be proud of. The real problem is that you’ve been following the wrong extrovert-biased advice on making friends.

Trouble maintaining friendships

Like most introverts, you find it tricky to balance your need for alone time with your need for connection. You keep people at arms length, and forget to keep in touch.

Just recognizing these sneaky friendship blocks and knowing that it’s not your fault makes things easier.

It’s not wrong to want something real

Also, know that it’s not wrong to want to socialize in a way that feels good to you. You don’t have to slug your way through constant small talk with people who don’t know how to truly listen.

When you stop listening to extrovert-biased advice that drains the heck out of you, and start working with your introverted needs, it all gets easier.

2 Comments

Remembering to keep in touch. I really do forget about people that I would love to keep in touch with, I just don’t think that way. I realized that a lot of people have kept friendships from all through their life, even when they change circumstances. I used to want to be like that. Just not me.